MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lady Kirchner proved to be the winning trump

Argentine president Nestor Kirchner managed Sunday a significant mid term victory for his two year old government which should help consolidate his power in Congress and the ruling party, plus open the way for his reelection in 2007.

Sunday's election renewed 24 of 72 Senate seats and 127 of 256 Lower House seats. Although official results have been delayed, political analysts were surprised by the impressive turnout which also helps reaffirm President Kirchner, who leaped in 2003 from being an obscure Patagonia Santa Cruz province governor to the Casa Rosada (Government House) with just 22% of the vote.

A decisive factor in the victory has been Cristina Kirchner, the First Lady who won a Senate seat by a landslide in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina's main electoral circumscription and stronghold of a traditional figure of the ruling Peronist party and former caretaker president Eduardo Duhalde.

Mrs. Kirchner win with almost 45% of the vote over Chiche Duhalde (wife of Mr. Duhalde) who managed 22% has several readings: loyalties in the ruling Peronist party will now definitively be looking towards a new leader, president Kirchner, who also happens to have the check book as he proved time and time over during the campaign; President Kirchner can count with his own strong grouping in Congress; the Duhalde influence is contracting; there are no serious opposition threats; political disputes continue inside the ruling Peronists and 45% is the magic percentage needed to win a first round presidential election.

However Mr. Kirchner had his setbacks: in Buenos Aires City, a liberal conservative Mauricio Macri took the day with 35% of the vote and his candidate Foreign Affairs minister Rafael Bielsa was fighting as runner up with 21%.

In Santa Fe province, the Socialists defeated Mr. Kirchner's candidates, although the president has a working alliance with Socialist leader Alfredo Binner. Similarly in Mendoza another important electoral circumscription, but here also the renewal banner of President Kirchner is accepted.

Nevertheless the real impact of President Kirchner's leadership will be tested with the new Congress which takes oath December 10.

Given the magnitude of the financial and political crisis inherited by Mr. Kirchner when taking office in 2003, he has virtually ruled by presidential decree with the consent of Congress and the Senate acting as a filter to "non conventional" initiatives from the Lower House.

But with a new Congress, the economy growing strongly, prospects of further steady progress and the long extenuating 82 billion US dollars defaulted bonds swap behind, a first test of authority will be when the special powers issue is debated or rather can Mr. Kirchner give seats-evidence he has his own majority to ensure his legislative agenda, targeting a second mandate.

The ruling Peronist party will have an even larger majority in Congress, but this does not mean Mr. Kirchner will be spared challenges from his own party.